Generosity

“No,” replied King David, “I insist on paying the full price, for I will not take for the LORD what belongs to you, nor will I offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?

⁵ So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you beforehand and make arrangements for the bountiful gift you had promised. This way, your gift will be prepared generously and not begrudgingly.

⁶ Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

⁷ Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver.

⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

⁹ As it is written: “He has scattered abroad His gifts to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.”

¹⁰ Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your store of seed and will increase the harvest of your righteousness.

“No,” replied the king, “I insist on paying a price, for I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

In everything, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus Himself: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

⁷ If there is a poor man among your brothers within any of the gates in the land that the LORD your God is giving you, then you are not to harden your heart or shut your hand from your poor brother.

⁸ Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him whatever he needs.

⁹ Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought in your heart: “The seventh year, the year of release, is near,” so that you look upon your poor brother begrudgingly and give him nothing. He will cry out to the LORD against you, and you will be guilty of sin.

¹⁰ Give generously to him, and do not let your heart be grieved when you do so. And because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything to which you put your hand.

¹¹ For there will never cease to be poor in the land; that is why I am commanding you to open wide your hand to your brother and to the poor and needy in your land.

Whoever gives to the poor will not be in need, but he who hides his eyes will receive many curses.

³ Moreover, because of my delight in the house of my God, I now give for it my personal treasures of gold and silver, over and above all that I have provided for this holy temple:

⁴ three thousand talents of gold (the gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the buildings,

⁵ for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now who will volunteer to consecrate himself to the LORD today?”

And the people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given to the LORD freely and wholeheartedly. And King David also rejoiced greatly.

⁹ Show hospitality to one another without complaining.

¹⁰ As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another.

¹⁸ Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share,

¹⁹ treasuring up for themselves a firm foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

²¹ And everyone whose heart stirred him and whose spirit prompted him came and brought an offering to the LORD for the work on the Tent of Meeting, for all its services, and for the holy garments.

²² So all who had willing hearts, both men and women, came and brought brooches and earrings, rings and necklaces, and all kinds of gold jewelry. And they all presented their gold as a wave offering to the LORD.

So all the men and women of the Israelites whose hearts prompted them brought a freewill offering to the LORD for all the work that the LORD through Moses had commanded them to do.

And do not neglect to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

⁷ Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

⁸ Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will come quickly. Your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

⁹ Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry out, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and malicious talk,

¹⁰ and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will go forth in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday.

¹⁶ If I have denied the desires of the poor or allowed the widow’s eyes to fail,

¹⁷ if I have eaten my morsel alone, not sharing it with the fatherless—

¹⁸ though from my youth I reared him as would a father, and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow—

¹⁹ if I have seen one perish for lack of clothing, or a needy man without a cloak,

²⁰ if his heart has not blessed me for warming him with the fleece of my sheep,

²¹ if I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless because I saw that I had support in the gate,

³⁰ I have not allowed my mouth to sin by asking for his life with a curse—

³¹ if the men of my house have not said, ‘Who is there who has not had his fill?’—

³² but no stranger had to lodge on the street, for my door has been open to the traveler—

³³ if I have covered my transgressions like Adam by hiding my guilt in my heart,

John replied, “Whoever has two tunics should share with him who has none, and whoever has food should do the same.”

Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide yourselves with purses that will not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.

¹² Then Jesus said to the man who had invited Him, “When you host a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or brothers or relatives or rich neighbors. Otherwise, they may invite you in return, and you will be repaid.

¹³ But when you host a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind,

¹⁴ and you will be blessed. Since they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common.

⁴⁵ Selling their possessions and goods, they shared with anyone who was in need.

³² The multitude of believers was one in heart and soul. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they owned.

³³ With great power the apostles continued to give their testimony about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And abundant grace was upon them all.

³⁴ There were no needy ones among them, because those who owned lands or houses would sell their property, bring the proceeds from the sales,

³⁵ and lay them at the apostles’ feet for distribution to anyone as he had need.

³⁶ Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (meaning Son of Encouragement),

³⁷ sold a field he owned, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

² Now with all my ability I have made provision for the house of my God—gold for the gold articles, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron, and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise, stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and slabs of marble—all in abundance.

³ Moreover, because of my delight in the house of my God, I now give for it my personal treasures of gold and silver, over and above all that I have provided for this holy temple:

⁴ three thousand talents of gold (the gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the buildings,

⁵ for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now who will volunteer to consecrate himself to the LORD today?”

⁶ Then the leaders of the households, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly.

⁷ Toward the service of God’s house they gave 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,000 talents of bronze, and 100,000 talents of iron.

⁸ One day Elisha went to Shunem, and a prominent woman who lived there persuaded him to have a meal. So whenever he would pass by, he would stop there to eat.

⁹ Then the woman said to her husband, “Behold, now I know that the one who often comes our way is a holy man of God.

¹⁰ Please let us make a small room upstairs and put in it a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp for him. Then when he comes to us, he can stay there.”

In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which is translated as Dorcas), who was always occupied with works of kindness and charity.

²⁹ So the disciples, each according to his ability, decided to send relief to the brothers living in Judea.

³⁰ This they did, sending their gifts to the elders with Barnabas and Saul.

But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord, half of my possessions I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will repay it fourfold.”

¹ Then Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury,

² and He saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.

¹ Now about the collection for the saints, you are to do as I directed the churches of Galatia:

² On the first day of every week, each of you should set aside a portion of his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will be needed.

³ Then, on my arrival, I will send letters with those you recommend to carry your gift to Jerusalem.

And Jonathan removed the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, his sword, his bow, and his belt.

² He and all his household were devout and God-fearing. He gave generously to the people and prayed to God regularly.

³ One day at about the ninth hour, he had a clear vision of an angel of God who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”

⁴ Cornelius stared at him in fear and asked, “What is it, Lord?” The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have ascended as a memorial offering before God.

The islanders showed us extraordinary kindness. They kindled a fire and welcomed all of us because it was raining and cold.

And this stone I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give You a tenth.”

Then one poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amounted to a small fraction of a denarius.

²⁶ For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.

²⁷ They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual blessings, they are obligated to minister to them with material blessings.

All the officers and all the people rejoiced and brought their contributions, and they dropped them in the chest until it was full.

Then Hezekiah said, “Now that you have consecrated yourselves to the LORD, come near and bring sacrifices and thank offerings to the house of the LORD.” So the assembly brought sacrifices and thank offerings, and all whose hearts were willing brought burnt offerings.

⁴ Moreover, he commanded the people living in Jerusalem to make a contribution for the priests and Levites so that they could devote themselves to the Law of the LORD.

⁵ As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously provided the firstfruits of the grain, new wine, oil, and honey, and of all the produce of the field, and they brought in an abundance—a tithe of everything.

⁶ And the Israelites and Judahites who lived in the cities of Judah also brought a tithe of their herds and flocks and a tithe of the holy things consecrated to the LORD their God, and they laid them in large heaps.

Then he distributed to every man and woman among the multitude of Israel a loaf of bread, a date cake, and a raisin cake. And all the people departed, each for his own home.

²⁷ When David came to Mahanaim, he was met by Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, Machir son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim.

²⁸ They brought beds, basins, and earthen vessels, as well as wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils,

²⁹ honey, curds, sheep, and cheese from the herd for David and his people to eat. For they said, “The people have become hungry, exhausted, and thirsty in the wilderness.”